1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a connector provided with a retainer.
2. Description of the Related Art
Prior art electrical connectors have a connector housing for receiving at least one terminal fitting. Some prior art electrical connectors further include a retainer that can be inserted into the connector housing to prevent removal of the terminal fittings from the housing. A prior art connector with a retainer is disclosed in the Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 6-151002. The housing of the connector shown in JP 6-151002 is formed with locking portions, which are brought elastically into engagement with the respective terminal fittings. The connector further includes a retainer that is formed with terminal locking portions for locking the respective terminal fittings. Thus a dual locking construction is provided to prevent the terminal fittings from coming out of the connector housing.
The connector housing disclosed in JP 6-151002 is formed with a plurality of locking projections that are disposed side by side on the outer surfaces of the left and right walls of the housing. The retainer, on the other hand, is formed with a pair of sidepieces on its opposite sides so that the housing can be held between the sidepieces. The sidepieces are formed with windows at locations that correspond to the respective locking projections. Thus, by selectively fitting the locking projections into the windows, the retainer can be held in a partial locking position (where the insertion and withdrawal of the terminal fittings are permitted) and in a full locking position (where the terminal locking portions are engaged with the terminal fittings to make the insertion and the withdrawal of the terminal fittings impossible).
The above described prior art connector, however, has a problem. In particular, the width of the connector increases as the number of contacts increases because a multitude of cavities must be arranged side by side. Then, a middle portion of the retainer is likely to warp due to an insufficient rigidity. As a result, terminal fittings inserted in a middle portion of the housing are locked with an insufficient force.
The present invention was developed to respond to such a problem, and an object of the invention is to provide a connector capable of locking terminal fittings with an enhanced force.
The subject invention is directed to a connector that comprises a housing with at least one cavity and at least one terminal fitting accommodated in the respective cavity. The connector further comprises a retainer that is mountable in a retainer mount hole of the housing. The retainer comprises at least one locking projection for locking a corresponding one of the terminal fittings so as that the terminal fitting will not come out of the housing after the terminal fitting has been inserted to a proper position in the respective cavity. At least one intermediate locking portion is provided in an intermediate position on the retainer, and at least one intermediate receiving portion is provided in a position on the housing that corresponds to the position of the intermediate locking portion.
According to the invention, the connector further comprises: end locking portions at the opposite ends of the retainer. End receiving portions are provided in the housing and can be engaged with the end locking portions when the retainer is inserted to its proper position in the retainer mount hole. Additionally, at least one intermediate locking portion is provided between the end locking portions.
Preferably, the retainer mount hole substantially communicates with the respective cavities and is open in one side surface of the housing.
According to a further embodiment, a connector comprises a housing having a plurality of cavities formed side by side and a plurality of terminal fittings accommodated respectively in the cavities. The housing also comprises a retainer mount hole which is open in one side surface of the housing and which communicates with the respective cavities. The housing further comprises locking projections for locking the corresponding terminal fittings so as not to come out when the terminal fittings are inserted to their proper positions in the cavities. The connector also comprises a retainer that can be inserted into the retainer mount hole. End locking portions are provided at the opposite ends of the retainer, and end-receiving portions are provided in the housing. The end-receiving portions are configured for engagement with the end locking portions when the retainer is inserted to its proper position in the retainer mount hole. At least one intermediate locking portion is provided in a position on the retainer between the end locking portions, and at least one intermediate receiving portion is provided in a position on the housing that corresponds to the position of the intermediate locking portion.
Accordingly, the retainer is mounted into the retainer mount hole after the terminal fittings are inserted to their proper insertion positions in the respective cavities of the housing. The end locking portions that are located at the opposite ends of the retainer and the intermediate locking portions that are located between the end locking portions then are engaged with the end and intermediate receiving portions of the housing. Thus, the respective terminal fittings are locked by the locking projections of the retainer to prevent removal from the corresponding cavities. The presence of the intermediate locking portion between the end locking portions on the retainer substantially prevents the retainer from warping in the middle, and therefore provides more secure locking of the terminals in the housing even if the housing is very wide.
According to a still further preferred embodiment, the connector includes at least one guide portion for guiding a connection of the housing and a mating housing. The guide portion preferably is provided on the front surface of the housing. Thus the guide portion preferably extends substantially between the adjacent cavities and along a connection direction of the housings. The intermediate locking portion preferably is provided behind the guide portion.
Further, the male and female housings can be connected smoothly with each other since the guide portion guides the connection of the housings. Further, since the intermediate receiving portion preferably is provided behind the guide portion, i.e. is located substantially on the same line as the guide portion with respect to the connection direction of the housing, the width of the housing needs not be increased even if the intermediate receiving portion is provided. Thus the housing can be kept small.
The locking portions preferably can be engaged with their corresponding receiving portions such that the retainer can be held in a partial locking position and a full locking position.
Most preferably, the intermediate locking portion is provided near the corresponding locking projection. Accordingly, the intermediate locking portion provides a more effective locking of the locking projection for the corresponding terminal fitting.
These and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent upon a reading of the following detailed description and accompanying drawings.